THE SOUND OF THUNDEROUS HOOVES APPROACHING SOUTH AFRICA

There appears to be is a silver lining following the Nene/Van Rooyen/ Gordhan debacle. Zuma's reckless and irrational firing of Nene is a blessing in disguise. It provides an opportunity for Luthuli House to engage in serious house cleaning - the recall of a political abomination - Jacob Zuma as President. But, simply recalling Zuma will not solve South Africa's financial, economic and social problems. The country has had to contend with a ruling party that has added new meaning to the term laissez-faire, characterised by corruption, wasteful spending, incompetence, self-dealing and cronyism. The reappointment of Pravin Gordhan as finance minister is a small step in the right direction, but it is not enough to forestall the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse descending on South Africa. To prevent ensuing chaos, the ruling party must cast aside its ideologically based destructive policies, and govern based on the time-tested principles of transparency, accountability, respect for the rule of law, strategic vision, effectiveness and efficiency. In a statement the ANC commended "the public for vocal engagement on government on the appointment of the Minister of finance . . . the ANC values public activism on matters of public interest". Utter drivel - the ANC has treated citizen concern with contempt time and again. Zuma's reappointment of Gordhan as minister of finance was, in American football parlance, a Hail Mary last-ditch move to stop the financial bloodletting the country was experiencing, after the sacking of Nene, and the appointment of an obscure lightweight parliamentary backbencher. The events of the last few days present ANC members with an ideal opportunity to clean house by recalling Zuma as a first step to restoring some semblance of stability to the country. Whether they have the backbone to do so remains to be seen.